West Van to review plans for Klee Wyck property

After blatantly ignoring one of the most cherished places in the community, the District of West Vancouver may finally do something to revive the Klee Wyck property.

If and when that happens, local artists may just be able to forgive the district for its gross negligence in letting rot a monument to the memory of the great Canadian artist Emily Carr.

Now, in a recent update to an artist, the district says it will review the Klee Wyck property as part of its arts and culture strategy in the spring of 2019.

In a response to the artists from Victoria, Doti Niedermayer, a senior manager for cultural services in the district, said a key outcome of the recently completed Arts and Culture strategy was to immediately undertake comprehensive arts and culture facilities plan.

The plan, she said, would determine what the long-term needs of the arts and culture sector and district-owned facilities were. “The plan will be complete by the spring of 2019, and the process will include a review of Klee Wyck, its intended use by the original owner, and its future use by as a cultural and recreational property.

Klee Wyck house, a rustic estate property situated on the banks of the Capilano River on Keith Road, was owned by Dr. Evelyn Trapp, a physician and a humanitarian who lived there until her death in 1972.

Dr. Trapp deeded the property to West Vancouver in 1960 and named it ‘Klee Wyck’ in honour of her good friend and world-renowned artist Emily Carr who wrote her autobiography with that title.

From 1980 to 2012, the home was being used to host arts program but the artist studio occupancy agreement was terminated in 2012. After that, it was used for storage.

The district has had several plans to revive the property but much to chagrin of local artists, those plans have never yielded anything of value.